The Fischer Tropsch (“FT”) process, which is sometimes called FT synthesis, is a chemical reaction used routinely in oil and gas processing. This process involves the conversion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas into a hydrocarbon chain and water. This reaction may be summarized as follows:CO+2H2→—CH2—+H2O ΔH=−165 KJ/mol
Generally, a catalyst is used in this reaction. This FT process usually occurs at high temperatures and high pressures, such as, for example, at pressures of 150-300 psig and temperatures ranging from 200-300° C. (The input stream that is input into the FT reaction vessel is often called synthesis gas or “syngas”). FT technology provides a method for conversion of carbon and hydrogen containing streams from one form (e.g. standard natural gas, biomass, or a mixture of carbon and hydrogen containing materials in gas, liquid, or solid forms) to another form (e.g. kerosene & diesel fuel). In general, the initial mixture of carbon and hydrogen containing material is converted to syngas prior to the introduction into an FT reactor, although the conversion itself could occur over a catalyst in the FT reactor.
The FT process will generally produce a mixture of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons (—CH2— molecules). In general, the liquid hydrocarbons (such as octane, hexane, and others hydrocarbons with carbon numbers of 5 or greater) tend to be more valuable than the gaseous products (such as methane, ethane, etc.) because these liquid products may be used in producing kerosene, diesel fuel and other desirable products.
The FT process is highly exothermic (with a ΔH=−165 KJ/mol). If the produced heat is not removed as part of the reaction conditions, the metallic catalyst can be damaged and the products generated will tend to be gases rather than the more valuable liquids and gases. Further, care must be taken to insure that sulfur-containing compounds are not part of the syngas as these chemicals tend to poison the catalysts, thereby causing the reaction to fail.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new device and method for FT processing that is more efficient and will better remove the heat produced during the reaction, thereby ensuring that the more valuable liquids are produced during the process. Such a device and method is disclosed herein.